99 Thoughts On Ganesha by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

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NiileshA

05 July, 2011

Have you ever wondered why is Ganapati always riding or accompanied by a rat? Why is a snake coiled around Ganesha's stomach or neck? Why Ganesha is fond of the sweet Modaka in particular?

IF AN individual gets everything in life very smoothly right from good education to good job, good money, own house, dream life partner coupled with aristocratic life style then it would be very unlikely that one might remember God, especially since the life is sailing smoothly. The reality is in life everyone gets their share of knock downs and goes through turbulent times. A vacuum of one’s desires and hopes is always left unanswered so that we always remember God and connect with him through our prayers and our wishes.

In the new book by Jaico Books “99 Thoughts on Ganesha” by Devdutt Pattanaik (Stories, Symbols and Rituals of India's beloved elephant-headed deity) the author has made references to Ganesha the Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles. A medical doctor by education and a leadership consultant by profession, Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik is currently the Chief Belief Officer at Future Group. He has written and lectured extensively on the nature of sacred stories, symbols and rituals and their relevance in modern times. In his latest book and also the first one on Ganesha the author brings together 99 meditations to better understand the stories, symbols and rituals of one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon namely Ganapati. He is known to remove hurdles and bring prosperity and peace in our lives.

Have you ever wondered why is Ganapati always riding or accompanied by rat? Why blades of grass, known as Dhurva form a critical ingredient of Ganesha worship. The answers to these questions can be found in this book, making it easy to relate these things to one another. The author has made it interesting by dividing the book into twelve parts and showing the importance of Ganapati in family, festivals, stories, symbols, temples etc. An interesting area covered under “family part” is that of Lakshmi and Saraswati. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and when she enters the house there is prosperity. Saraswati, on the otherhand, is the goddess of wisdom and when she enters the house there is peace. But the two of them do not stay in the same house which is why peace and prosperity rarely co-exist.

The only God who can bring them together is Ganesha. Why devotees of Ganesha avoid looking at the moon on the days that he is worshipped? Why is the word “Shri” seen on top of wedding cards even today and what is its significance? If these questions are making you curious then reading this latest book by Dr. Pattanaik would be all the more enlightening. Readers are sure to find answers to the above questions in this book coupled with relevant explanation which the author has given throughout the book. One may ask why only 99 thoughts and why not more to which the author has cited the example of the game of cricket. Having scored 99 runs, when a batsman stands all set to get that one run to gain the century mark, he experiences the moment that is best associated with Ganesha. The book will help the readers realize the importance of Lord Ganesh in their lives.